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A32    FEATURE
              Thursday 1 February 2018
             Historic Vegas neon signs shine bright for 1st time in years



            By REGINA GARCIA CANO                                                                                               tos, drone video and other
             Associated Press                                                                                                   references to digitally rec-
            LAS VEGAS (AP) — As Frank                                                                                           reate  each  sign,  bulb  by
            Sinatra  asks  Lady  Luck  to                                                                                       bulb. He then used a scan-
            stick around, the neon red                                                                                          ning process to determine
            lights of one of Las Vegas’                                                                                         the  precise  placement  of
            most    famous    towering                                                                                          eight  projectors  to  ensure
            signs appear to dance un-                                                                                           the  alignment  of  the  con-
            der the night sky, revealing                                                                                        tent  with  the  bulbs,  rusted
            a  beating  heart  and  the                                                                                         metal  and  tubes  of  the
            rest  of  the  marquee  of  a                                                                                       signs.
            famed casino-hotel. Other                                                                                           “There  are  moments  here
            rusted, dusted and broken                                                                                           where there’s no bulb, but
            neon signs in a large gravel                                                                                        I’ve created a digital bulb
            lot ringed by a security wall                                                                                       that is in its place,” Winslow
            appear  to  light  up  with                                                                                         said. “From far away it just
            neon not seen for decades                                                                                           looks like the sign is lit. You
            as other classic tunes play                                                                                         get up closer, and you re-
            in the background.                                                                                                  alize  all  these  are  broken
            But  these  former  Sin  City                                                                                       or  there  are  missing  bulbs
            landmarks are missing light                                                                                         or hanging bulbs.”
            bulbs and some of the re-                                                                                           As  the  Binion’s  horseshoe
            maining  are  cracked  or                                                                                           flickers  in  shades  of  gold
            hang by a wire. They have                                                                                           and  red,  Dean  Martin
            not being restored and are                                                                                          croons  “I  Love  Vegas.”
            not  plugged  to  a  power     In this April 1, 2004, file photo, workers prepare the stage for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front   Meanwhile, Presley’s “Viva
            outlet.    Augmented  real-   of Binion’s Horseshoe Casino on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.                 Las Vegas” blasts as the set
            ity tests last week made it                                                                        Associated Press   of the Stardust letters shine.
            look like many of the city’s                                                                                        Historical  footage  of  this
            famed neon signs are burn-    this space,” said Neon Mu-  experience  presented  af-   lights quite like Las Vegas.   gambling oasis will also be
            ing brightly again.           seum  president  and  chief   ter  sunset  allows  visitors  to   Dozens  of  those  now-re-  projected  onto  the  signs,
            Forty neon signs that once    executive  officer  Rob  Mc-  walk freely around the out-  tired  signs  are  housed  at   showing  Liberace  playing
            drew visitors to some of Las   Coy.                       door gallery and get close   the  museum  but  not  all   the  piano  and  gamblers
            Vegas’ most iconic casino-    He added: “This is Las Ve-  to  the  signs.  A  soundtrack   remain  functional,  leaving   playing table games.
            hotels and other venues will   gas as it was. It is very emo-  that includes Elvis Presley’s   it  up  to  visitors  to  imagine   “Whether  they  come  by
            shine  again  for  the  public   tional.  Even  people  who   “Night  Life,”  ‘’Mr.  Sand-  what the marquees looked   car,  rail  or  circle  the  city
            starting  Thursday  night  at   don’t  live  here,  but  live   man”  by  The  Chordettes   like  decades  ago.  Re-  and  dropping  by  plane,
            the Neon Museum, but not      around  the  United  States   and  Ella  Fitzgerald’s  “I’m   storing  the  signs  can  cost   their  eyes  pop  wide  open
            a  single  one  of  their  lights   or  around  the  world,  they   Beginning to See The Light”   tens  of  thousands  of  dol-  with  their  first  glimpse  of
            will  truly  be  on.  The  unre-  all  have  in  their  heads  a   plays in tandem with each   lars  each  so  using  projec-  Las  Vegas,”  a  historical
            stored marquees, worn by      romantic image of Las Ve-   sign that is illuminated.    tion mapping is a cheaper    narration  plays  right  be-
            the beating sun and twist-    gas,  and  it’s  usually  that   Neon  signs  were  intro-  process to show what they   fore the signs begin to light
            ed  by  desert  winds,  are   vintage, neon Las Vegas.”   duced to the United States   once  looked  like  lighted   up.  “A  city  whose  head  is
            being brought back to life    The signs on display include   at  the  1893  World  Fair  in   up.                   wreathed  in  garlands  of
            thanks  to  projection  map-  the  Golden  Nugget,  Lady   Chicago.  But  no  city  em-  Digital  artist  and  designer   neon  signs,  and  a  city  of
            ping, a type of augmented     Luck,  Binion’s  Horseshoe   braced  the  luminous  tube   Craig  Winslow  used  pho-  storybook west.”q
            reality created by project-   and  the  first  four  futuristic-
            ing  life-like  digital  anima-  looking  letters  of  the  Star-
            tions  of  the  signs  onto  the   dust  because  the  sign  at
            hulking metal.                the  museum  is  missing  the
            “We  are  combining  art,     “dust” part of it.
            history  and  technology  in   The  30-minute  immersive
























             In this Jan. 24, 2018, photo, digital artist and designer Craig
             Winslow works on an exhibit at the Neon Museum in Las    In this Jan. 24, 2018, photo, projectors light up non-working neon signs at an exhibit at the Neon
             Vegas.                                                   Museum in Las Vegas.
                                                     Associated Press                                                                      Associated Press
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